The Timetraveler's Boyfriend
by avatarquake
Summary: He knew her practically all his life. Daisy is back in SHIELD and she and Coulson have a talk.


The Timetraveler's Boyfriend.

**Summary:** _He knew her practically all his life._ Daisy is back in SHIELD and she and Coulson have a talk.

**Notes:** SHE LIVES! Sorry for not uploading anything in so long, I honestly forgot. A loose companion piece to 'A past birthday'.

* * *

The thing is...he knew her practically all his life.

She was the sad young woman he bumped into on his eighth birthday, showed off Lola to and shared cake with.

She was the kind young woman that passed him his baseball back when it got away from him one evening and she caught it. She threw it back and he caught it with the ease of an eight-year-old who's been practising.

_'Nice catch!'_ she grins at him as she leaves.

She is the hand on his shoulder as he staid back after his father's funeral. She is the warm embrace he turned to, to cry, and the soft sounds meant to soothe him as he clinged on to her neck for dear life.

She's the girl who congratulated him on his graduation with a larkspur and a kiss to his cheek.

She's the tight embrace at his mother's funeral, among family members' hands on shoulders and pats on the back.

She's a stolen kiss in the middle of an undercover mission – the reason he was late to fish his partner out of the ocean.

He never asked her name -he thinks- and after 2010 he stopped expecting to see her ever again.

There's _something_ in his heart at the thought. Maybe it's regret.

He had to die and come back and meet Skye to realise it was loneliness.

And even though Skye looks alarmingly alike to his nameless young woman, he knows it can't be her – she is too young to have lived that long. Even if Skye's eyes seem older than his.

And besides, Skye doesn't recognise him, so there's that.

Three years later, almost, nine days _after_, she runs away. He doesn't blame her. Not like FitzSimmons do. He doesn't judge her, like May does. Only Mack and Elena seem to understand.

When he hears three days later, on the tenth of July, about the earthquake in San Francisco, he knows it's Daisy. He knows things are about to change.

He's not surprised by Talbot giving the Playground's location to President Elis and he wonders if it's time he went after Daisy. If it's time he stepped down.

Nothing seemed to matter since Daisy left anyway.

Giving the position up to someone else, so he can find her, seems relieving.

And so on the 29th of September starts his and Mack's chase to find Daisy.

He catches a glimpse on December the 15th. And that day he was thinking of his eighth birthday, when he thought he saw her watching him from a roof. And that's all until April the 2nd when he finds her in a fireworks shop while Robbie and James fight each other.

He's _stuck_.

He wants to do so much, but he _can't_. She didn't come back because she wanted to – this is a shaky partnership at best.

There's something in the way she looks at him, like she can't get enough or doesn't want to get close. Maybe she is thinking of leaving again. He won't stop her, he hopes she knows. He told her, didn't he? He's just glad she is okay.

She finds him later, after she was welcomed back into SHIELD, after she found a bunk, coincidentally one next to his, and sits with him.

"So." she starts.

"So." he smiles. "Welcome home, Agent Johnson."

"Thank you, Agent Coulson."

They chuckle.

"I...How do I even start?" she groaned.

"If you try to apologise for looking after yourself, Daisy, so help me God-"

"I traveled to your past." she blurted out. "Moments. Not in order. Though your eighth birthday was the first time. That was by accident. The others...not so much."

"You met my parents..." he breathed out. "You really were there. I didn't dream that up because I missed you so much."

"Yeah. That really happened." she smiled, softly. "I think they liked me."

"Of course they did; they were my parents and you are Daisy. We never stood a chance."

Daisy blushed and looked away.

"How did you travel back, though, since we had the object?"

"Found another one. Could manipulate it to adjust the time it took me to. Forgot to lead you guys to it." she shrugged.

He nodded, not bothered she had a time-traveling device she used to visit his past, to comfort him, to congratulate him, to–

His eyes grew wide and he turned to stare at her.

Then he leaned close and kissed her.

Daisy smiled in the kiss, raising her hand to cup his cheek.

"You remembered." she said against his lips.

"That was one of my most unprofessional moments." he told her. "My very first, I'll have you know."

"Any other unprofessional moments that stood out?"

"Hiring a Rising Tide hacktivist. Following said hacktivist's cues and ideas. Falling in love with her early on. Blowing up a secret medical facility to find my cure to save the woman that had my heart." he listed quietly.

Daisy rested her forehead against his.

"I wanted to keep you all safe. That's why I left. But, mostly you. You are my most important person. I wouldn't, _couldn't_ forgive myself if you died because of me."

"Daisy…" he sighed, eyes closed. "I…I never…" he swallowed. "I want you to stay. I can't promise nothing will happen to me, to the team, and I can't change the past, but…I need you here, with me. I am so sorry, I promised not to-"

"You promised not to crowd me with your feelings?"

"I didn't want you to feel pressured."

"Just like you want me to talk to you, I want you to talk to me. About everything, Phil."

"Okay." he agreed breathlessly, kissing her lips softly. "God, I missed you so, _so_ much." he sighed, resting his forehead against hers, again.

"Likewise." she breathed out. "I saw a red car graffiti on a wall once and I froze."

"Lola?" he asked, knowingly.

"Yes." she breathed. "I missed her so much, Phil. How is my girl?"

"She missed you too." he replied. "Wanna go see her?"

"_Yes, please!_"

"Oh, I see!" he teased as they got to their feet, heading towards the hangar. "_I see_! You were after Lola all along!"

"Hey, Lola comes with a really cool guy, it's a double deal! I'd be crazy if I didn't go for that beautiful red car!"

"So you take the car for the guy?"

"I take the guy for the car." she chuckled bumping her shoulder to his, teasing him.

Coulson mock-pouted, but he couldn't not smile back.

"I can live with that." he sighed in mock-surender. "Alas, that is the fate of a man with a _really_ nice car." he exclaimed, dramatically.

"You dork." Daisy laughed beside him.

"I was in the drama club for a year, you know."

"Why just a year?"

"I was 'too dramatic' for their tastes." he huffed.

Daisy laughed, holding on to him, as they stopped in the middle of the hall.

"Oh, oh," she wheezed, "I wish I had seen that!"

"I am glad you didn't." he countered, half-heartedly. "I was so angry, I mixed up the props for different plays. Costume mix-ups, props painted outlandish colors, missing and/or misplaced accessories, pranks, the works." he said.

"Did you mess with their lines?"

"Oh yeah. No one knew who it was. Of course the teacher was at his wits end with the changes, but the kids took it in stride. Found it funny, really. Played along. We had a few interesting plays." he chuckled.

"Can we go for a ride?" she asked him, as she ran her hand along Lola.

Coulson passes her the keys. Daisy stares at him, shocked, as he gets in the passenger seat. He smiled softly up at her.

Returning the smile, she gets in and starts the engine.

They don't drive for too long, Daisy finds a quiet park, parks them and gets out, sits on Lola's hood. Coulson follows her, sits next to her.

"It's a brand new world, a really cool car and her owners." she says, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Everything's going to work out, I promise." he tells her.

"I've got you now, of course they will." she smiles, presses a kiss to his chest.

"Why did you travel to my past?"

"I wanted to be part of it, part of your life, something I couldn't really have been a part of, normally." she looks up at the stars. "I wanted you to know you'd always have me."

"I know. You know you'll always have me, don't you?"

Daisy reached up, kissed him once, lightly.

"Of course."

He smiled, charmed at her assured tone, like he didn't even need to say it, like him being with her was a law of nature. Like, the Sun rises in the East and sets in the West and Phil Coulson will always be by Daisy Johnson's side, because that's his natural place.

"Ready to go back?" Daisy asked, after a long while.

"Maybe not yet? I'd like to be with just you for a little while longer, without missions and rules bearing down on us."

"Think Mace is gonna partner us up now?"

"You and me working as a two-man team? That'd be nice." he smiled. "Exciting. I would love to be in the field with you."

"Me, too. It'd be super fun, right?"

Coulson smiled at her.

"Yeah."

They staid like that, softly smiling at each other, for a few more minutes before deciding to return to base.

Once back, they ended up crashing in Daisy's new room, as neither wanted to leave the other for too long, trying to make up for lost time.

"You want to add Daisy to your team?" Mace repeated.

"We work well together and produce better results generally. I am also her handler, so it'd make sence for her to be assigned to my team." Coulson stated.

Mace sighed.

"I thought I told you, you were forbidden from being close to Johnson."

"And yet, statistically, we make a very efficient team."

"Very well. I will allow it. But at the first sign of insubordination or rule-breaking, I will remove Johnson from your team. You, Agent Mackenzie and Agent Johnson will be on the Zephyr 1 to respond to Inhuman cases. Think you can handle it?"

"Sure. I didn't know I looked like I couldn't."

"Johnson is proof enough you might hesitate to do your job."

Coulson frowned.

"I know Agent Johnson well enough that I decided on a more open and friendly approach, sir."

Mace shook his head and waved him out.

"You'll be called on once I have a mission for you."

"So?" Daisy asked excitedly, as he entered his room.

"Welcome to the pariah team." he grinned.

"The what now?"

"We're officially the Inhuman Mobile Response team, but really we're just the ones most likely to cause trouble, so we're always on the move."

"At least you can do some good for the Inhumans, right?"

"As much as possible, yeah." Coulson sighed, as he fell backwards on his bed.

"Hey."

"Hmm?"

"Want to come with me to my safehouse?"

"Hm?" Coulson looked over. "Safehouse?"

"Yeah. I got one. Didn't use it often, though. It's got a parking space to hide my van. And I also need to move my van, too. So. Are you up to for a small roadtrip?"

"Lead the way." he smiled. "Can you tell me more about what you did all this time?"

"Sure." she smiled. "Once we've settled at my place."

Suddenly, Coulson chuckled.

"What?"

"I ended up being a timetraveler's boyfriend." he said remembering last night.

"Huh."

They got out of the base, riding Lola, to the fireworks shop James had worked at. Daisy got her van and then lead the way. The safehouse was a two-store house with parking space in a relatively remote area.

"Welcome to the Unregistered Inhumans getaway. I helped quite a few get away from law by letting them hide here, you know."

Coulson smiled.

"I'm glad you had a sort of base of operations."

Daisy snorted.

"I saw this place three times in my time as a vigilante; when I got it, and twice with the more sensitive Inhumans in need of help. This is my fourth time here."

"Does anyone else knows about this?"

"Mike. He made sure to keep an eye on it for me. He staid with Ace for some time, too. I know he stays at his sister's, but I told him to use it whenever he needs some time with his boy."

Coulson nodded. He watched her park her van and then the two entered.

Daisy prepared them coffee and they sat at the couch drinking and talking.

They ended up cuddling and kissing, enjoying the quiet moment.

Until, of course Coulson was called that they were needed back in base, and were on earth were they, who were they leaving unannounced?

Sighing and rolling their eyes, Daisy locks up the house and they get in Lola, Daisy driving her.

"This is gonna be fun, right?"

"Yeah." Coulson grinned, leaning over to kiss her quickly, as they drove back.


End file.
